The medal is one of the most prestigous awards presented in agriculture science.

Dr Panozzo won the award for his innovative grain research, which has resulted in improvements in plant breeding programs.

“It’s a great honour and only four Victorians have won the medal in its 79-year history,” he said.

“It’s an honour, not only for me, but for my team in the lab.

“Rarely in science is an award due to one person, it’s the result of a team contribution, and I am lucky to be supported by a great team.” 

“It was a surprise – I had no idea that I had been nominated.”

Dr Panozzo is a senior research scientist with the  Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources.

He leads the research team within the grains and forage chemistry group at the Grains Innovation Park in Horsham.

Dr Panozzo said he became interested in grains research when he was doing his science degree at university.

“I then did a PhD in heat stress and drought stress on grain quality, from there I started working in grains research,” he said.

He was awarded the medal at a presentation in Sydney, where he also gave a speech.

“I spoke about my work in relation to agriculture science and the future of food production,” he said.

He said there was a need to look into the future to foresee issues that might arise in a decades time.

“These issues might relate to the outbreak of new plant diseases, the effects of climate-variability, the establishment of new markets or a shift in food trends,” he said.

Dr Panozzo’s research includes the application of digital image analysis to quantify seed characteristics in pulse grains. 

This research will lead to the development of higher quality pulse varieties for growers.

Dr Panozzo is also involved in investigating the effect on increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide on plant growth and grain quality.